West Virginia Democrat. [volume] (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890, 1887-03-25
WEST VIRGINIA DEMOCRAT MACH Is 1851
eAoneURsrs AND THEIR CAUSE.
Result Of the Destruction Of Timher-A
Dangerous DownpOurlng.

Dangerous DownpourinB.
fCor. San Francisco chroniela.l
There remains TO be considered one of the
most DISASTROUS Of the phenomena attending
he destruction Of the timber, though hap
Nv notthe most frequent else the country
would become uninhabitable. The extraor-
binary rainfaIls, 70 which the people gave
the name Of cloudbursts, began to be no.
ticed 100 years ago. The common opinion
WAS that the cloud was rent by the sharp
angle of the mountain, letting out millions
Of tons Of water.
One of these phenomenal rainfans 90
curred about 1913, in Lyme. N Il. The
country generally had been denuded OF tim
Der. A lofty hill, inaccessible to the log
GERS team. had been spared, leav-
ing perhaps a mile square covered 50
thickiy with timber that the sun
light scarcely penetrated the thick foliage
The moss on the ground was three feet THICK
and even in midsummer was moist and cool
This afforded the requisite conditions for
cloudbursk One day there was violent
commotion up there. Thunder, lightning
and charging clouds seemed to have chosen
the TOP Of the mountain for grand tourna-
ment The rains that should have been
drawn from the clouds by miles Of wood
land we're precipitatsd IN one tremendous
effort. The timber on the top OF the noun
tain was prostratsd as il by cyclons. A
torrent, many times too large Tor the ordi-
nary channels, poured down the mountain
eide, carrying destruction in its course.
Mills were swept away, or left useless soms
distance from the new channels, which Yves
formed. Mil dams were piled ten feet hign
with powders and gravel
The phenomenon Of eloudbursts Is becomr
ing more or less common in all the treeleSs
parts OF the country. Denver was once
swept away by such a rainfall Eureka.
New, has twice been inundated in thai
way. The streams running down the east
ern slope OF the Sierra Nevada are noted
for such alterations. Some years ago q
stage coach, passengers, driver, horses, al
were overtaken by a solid perpendicular
wall Of water and destroyed. Several
times similar torrents have poured into the
Moiave deserts. In 1878 a cloudburst neal
Jackson, in this state. sent O torrent
through the town, destroying many lyeS
Several times they have occurred in Sant
Barbara county, accompanied with loss u
life. In one instance the wall OF water NOV
ing down the channel was estimated to b
ten feet high. One or two small ones have
occurred at the head Of Los Gatos creek, IN
Santa Clare county, raising the water
twenty feet high.
There are evidences OF numerous cloud
bursts In times past, where millions Of cubic
feet Of earth ara swept out Of the mountains
in one hour. The pile Of debris reminds on'
Of the tailings left by hydraulic mining
Such pile in the lower Ojai valley, In Ven
tura county, covers four square miles and
measures 100, OOO, 600 cubic yards A wei
sank to the depth Of 100 feet penetrated
fresh alluvial soil, proving the recent dat
of the affair In the canyons above bowl
ders as large as churches are piled on eaci
other, showing the terrific power Of the tor
rent Such an outpour as the above men
toned may not occur in 100 years, but tn
liability is constantly increasing as the tim
Der Is cut away